GoPro recently broke their two-year tradition by releasing the HERO6 Black only a year after the HERO5 series hit the shelves. The new camera promises the best video quality ever — but is it worth the hefty price tag?

Or is the HERO5 series still the best way to go? 2016’s camera series packed a lot of value into very small housings.

Let’s take a look at all of the available options and figure out which is best for you.

The Highest of the High End: GoPro HERO6 Black

The newest GoPro, as you might expect, has all of the best features. Let’s take a look at what it brings to the table:

QuikStories lets you view and edit your videos directly from your phone with the built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (the HERO6 now has 5GHz Wi-Fi, making it faster than the HERO5). Also, geotagging adds GPS information to your photos and videos. Here’s a video demonstrating how QuickStories works:

With an initial MSRP of $500, you’re looking at a serious investment in an action cam with the HERO6. That’s $100 more than the HERO5 Black, which already costs a good chunk of change.

While we haven’t seen yet how much of an improvement this new cam is over the HERO5, it looks to be all in the details. The new chip and higher video bit rate will probably be noticeable. But the rest of the improvements will likely appeal only to professionals and very high-end users.

The Session cameras stand out for their small size: they’re barely bigger than the camera lens. And that makes them extremely portable. Combined with solid specs, that makes the HERO5 Session almost unbeatable for the price.

Here are the basics:

4K video recording up to 30 FPS

10MP photo

Video stabilization

Waterproof to 10m

Voice control

QuikStories

Most of what you’re missing from the HERO5 Black is the touchscreen. The camera’s non-4K video modes have slightly lower frame rates than its big brother, too. Beyond that, however, you get the most important functions.

The biggest advantage of this model is, of course, the size. It’s tiny, and can easily fit in your pocket. And when you mount it on a helmet, chest strap, or hold it on a hand grip, you’ll barely feel it at all.

Don’t want to drop several hundred bucks on an action cam? The HERO Session has you covered. At less than half the price of the HERO5 Black, it’s much easier on your wallet. But you’ll be sacrificing some of the big draws of the HERO5 series. Here’s what you’ll get:

1440p video recording

8MP photo

Waterproof to 10m

You miss out on 4K, voice control, and video stabilization. All in all, it’s still a great action camera.

1440p resolution video is very clear, and the fact that it’s small, durable, and waterproof makes it viable for lots of different uses. Not having the stabilization might provide to be detrimental, but there’s always the possibility that you can smooth things out with video editing software.

The biggest draw here, of course, is the price. The MSRP is $150, and that’s a solid deal for what you’re getting.

It can be used to film in virtual reality, can turn spherical videos into normal ones, and can do most of the things that other GoPros can (with a few exceptions). Is it worth waiting for?

That, of course, depends on what you want a GoPro for. If you want to film 360-degree videos for virtual reality, it’s going to be a great tool. If you’re not looking for that level of power, the $700 MSRP might be a bit much.

We’ll have to wait and see when the reviews start rolling in. The built-in “gimbal-like” stabilization is certainly appealing, but when you can get a gimbal for a couple hundred bucks, the Fusion will have to blow everything else out of the water to be worth it.

Is it, according to GoPro’s Chief Executive Officer, Bill Woodman: “arguably the most versatile creative tool ever made”? That seems like a stretch.

Time to Decide

Does the increased framerate make the HERO6 a better buy than the HERO5? It seems unlikely unless you’re specifically trying to film extremely high-definition shots in slow motion.

I used to have a GoPro, but when it suffered water damage it worked out to expensive to repair. I switched to the Olfi cam. Their latest one.five can shoot Ultra High Definition 4K video at 24fps, 16Mb still images and has gyro stabilisation - all for £150

Dann is a freelance business and technology writer. When he's not on his bike, he's looking for new ways to help people be productive, meet their goals, and maintain a healthy relationship with technology.